Tube cleaner



April 6 1926. 1,579,692

W. ERNST TUBE CLEANER Filed August 18, 1925 Jill/e17] (or.

(755111 11 pyg;

Patented Apr. 6, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ERNST, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 ATLAS MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI- ronma.

TUBE CLEANER.

Application fil'ed August 18,1925. Serial No. 50,895.

To all whom it may aonaem:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ERNST, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tube Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of motordriven tube-cleaners, and especially to the type of cutter-heads which comprise essentlally a body or stock, and cutters so mounted as to be subject to the action of centrifugal force under high speed of rotation.

My invention consists, briefly stated, in a'body member comprising spaced, parallel, radially slotted flanges; a lon itudinally fluted axis-shaft connecting said anges, the flutes of the shaft being in line with the slots of the flanges; pins freely fitted in and through said slots; cutters carried by said'pins and having a diameter adapted for partial housing in the flutes of the axis shaft; and-means associated with said body member for locking said pins against linear displacement. V

The objects of my invention will be hereinafter fully stated in connection with the detailed dsecription of my tube-cleaner cutter-head. I

In the accompanyingidrawings I have shown myinvention in its preferred form, but it is to be understood that various changes in structure, form, arrangement and proportionsmay be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawin s:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my cutterhead, and. indicating in part the driving motor.

Fig. 2 is a lon itudinaLsection, enlarged, if the cutter-head, taken on'the line 22 of ig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig.2.

Fig. 4 is a rear end view showing the engagement of the notched lock-plate 11 with the cutter-darryingpins 5.

Fig. 5 is a cross section through the axissha'ft, showing one of the slotted flanges in elevation.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the notched-lock plate 11.

The body or stock of my cutter-head comprises an axis-shaft 1, a pair of spaced, parallel flanges 2' at right angles to said shaft and a threaded nipple 3 projecting from 0nd of said flanges in line with the axis-shaft.

-These members are preferably formed as one the shaft and the flanges is such that the points of the flanges lie in line with grooves or flutes of the shaft, and the depressions of the flanges intersect the plane'of the wings or ribs of the shaft, as seen in Fig. 3.

In the points of the flanges are made elongated slots 4 radially disposed.

- In these slots are mounted the cutter-carrying pins 5, the fitting being such that said pins may move freely radially in said slots and may also rotate upon their own axes.

These pins pass through both flanges, and have mounted upon them for independent free rotation the cutters,jone set of which, designated-by 6, and which are preferably doubled as shown in Fig. 2, are cylindrical and lie between the flanges, and the other set 7 are conical and lie forward of the front flange, suitable washers 8 being properly disposed in the assembly.

The front ends of the pins are provided with knobs 5. Their rear ends have heads 5", and are formed with circumferential grooves 9 immediately forward of "said heads, both the grooves and the heads projecting rearwardly of the rear flange, as shown in Fig. 2.

. -Upon the rear face of the rear flange, and

secured thereto by the single screw 10, Fig.

groove 9 of the pin, and thus locks said pin against being pulled out forwardly, though not interfering with the functional movements thereof.

Fitted upon the body nipple 3," as shown in Fig. 1,'is thrust-lockplate 13. This plate when seated, lies rearward of the heads 5 of the pins 5' and thus stops said pins in rearward movement under the thrust of operation.

Fitted to the hub 14 of the thrust plate 13 is the motor 15 which I have shown in part in Fig. 1, since it may be of any suitable type, and forms no part of my invention.

As is usual in tube-cleaners of the motor driven type, the motor serves as a steadying guide within the tube and thus makes it possible to have the cutter-head of such smaller normal diameter as toprovide not only for its free entrance into the tube, but also to give a relatively large outwardly throw of the cutters under centrifugal force.

In this connection it will be noted that by fluting the axis shaft 1 of the body or stock, I provide a sufliciently strong center,vbut

with deep recesses for partially housing the cutters lying between the flanges, and permitting said cutters and also the forward cutters, and their carrying pins to move centrally to such extent as to reduce to a minimum the normal or inoperative diameter of the head, and thus enable it to freely enter the tube. At the same time it gives a large outward movement under operating conditions.

It will also be noted that the functional movement of the cutters both radially and axially is with the greatest freedom, and

the least wear and tear. This is due to the fact that the free mounting of the cuttercarrying pins renders them practically floating members, sensitive to all the motions to which they are subjected; and, as the cuttersrotate upon the pins, and the ins themselves, dueto frictional contact in t eir bearings, may also rotate upon their own axes, there is little wear.

The stop plate 11 prevents the pins 5 from bein drawn out forwardly when the device is being retracted in or withdrawn from the tube. The thrust-plate 13 stops the pins from backward movement when in operation; but. neith er plate interferes with the movement of the pins and cutters either to operating position or when at rest.

The cutter-head as thus constructed is easily assembled and readily dismembered.

1. A tube-cleaner cutter-head comprising a radially slotted body; a pin freely fitted in the slot of said body; a cutter carried by said pin; a stop member carried by. said body and engaging said pin adjacent the rear end thereof to arrest the, forward linear ing the groove of the pin to arrest the for- Ward linear movement of the said pin; and

a second stop member carried by said body and against which the rear end of the pin abuts to receive the thrust of the pin.

3. A tube-cleaner cutter-head comp-rising,

spaced, parallel, radially slot-ted flanges; an axis shaft connecting said flanges, said shaft being longitudinally fluted in line with the slots of the flanges; a pin extending between said flanges and freely fitted in the slots thereof for radial and axial movement therein; a cutter carried by said pin between said flanges, said cutter having a diameter adapting it'for partial housing in the flute of the axis shaft; and means for confining said in against linear displacement consisting 0 a 'head on the pin, a circumferential groove in advance of said head, a notched plate carried by one of said flanges and engaging the groove of the pin, and a second plate associated wit-h said shaft and abutting upon the pin head.

4. A tube-cleaner cutter-head comprising a body member, consisting of spaced, parallel, radially slotted flanges, a longitudinally fluted axis shaft the flutes of said shaft being in line with the slots of the flanges, and a nipple projecting from one of said flanges; pins freely fitted in and extending through the slots of said flanges; cutters carried by said pins between the flanges, and having a diameter adapting them for partial housing in the flutes ofthe axis shaft; and means for confinin said pins against linear displacement consisting of a head on the pins, a circumferential groove in advance of said head; a plate carried on the rear face of the rear flange, said plate hav ing T shaped notches for engaging the grooves of t e pins, and a second plate fitted on the body nipple and abutting upon the" pin heads.

5. A. tube-cleaner cutter-head comprising a body, member consisting of spaced, parallel, radially slotted flanges, a longitudinally fluted axis shaft the flutes of said shaft being in line with the slots of the flanges, and a nipple projecting from one of said flanges; pins freely fitted in and extending through the slots of said flanges; cutters carried by'saidpins between the flanges, and having a diameter adapting them for partial housir ig in theflutes of the axis'shaft;

other cutters carried by the pins in advance of the forward flange; and means for confining said pins against linear displacement consisting of a head on the pins, a circumferential groove in advance of said head; a plate carried on the rear face of the rear flange, said plate having T shaped notches for enga ing the grooves of the pins, -and a second p ate fitted on thebody nipple and abutting upon'the pin heads v In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM ERNST 

